19-month-old girl had to be rescued by firefighters after getting her leg stuck in a shopping trolley in Stoke-on-Trent Tesco

Firefighters use metal-cutting equipment to free 19-month-old girl after she gets her leg stuck… in a shopping trolleyKeeley O'Brien was trapped in trolley for nearly an hour in Tesco storeShoppers and staff tried to free her unsuccessfully so firefighters calledMother Leanne Bradbury described the experience as 'horrible'

|

UPDATED:

18:04 GMT, 21 December 2012

A 19-month-old girl was rescued by firefighters after getting her leg trapped in a shopping trolley.

Keeley O’Brien was being wheeled around the store by mother Leanne Bradbury, 19, when her foot slipped through bars around the child seat.

The screaming child was trapped in the trolley at Tesco Extra in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, for an hour as her parents, shoppers and staff all failed in their attempts to free her leg.

Enlarge

Trapped: Baby Keeley O'Brien became trapped while shopping with her mother in Tesco Extra in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. She was trapped for around an hour before firefighters freed her using metal-cutting equipment

Firefighters were eventually called and were forced to use specialist cutting equipment, normally used in car crashes, to free the toddler.

Mother Leanne, from Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, described the incident as 'horrible'.

Recalling the incident, she said: 'Keeley was screaming and there was nothing I could do.

'We tried to help her out of the trolley but she was really stuck and I didn’t want to hurt her. I’m just so relieved it wasn’t more serious.

'I don’t know how it happened. She was strapped into the seat, but then she started crying and I saw her foot was twisted around behind her.

'She was confused and upset and we just really wanted to get her out as quickly as possible.'

Keeley was in the trolley alongside six-month-old brother Benjamin when her leg became trapped.

An off-duty paramedic shopping in the store was among those unable to release the child's leg, before staff in the Tesco store were forced to dial 999.

Releif: Miss Bradbury described the incident as 'horrible' but Keeley escaped with only a bruised ankle

Staff took Keeley into an office and gave her toys to play with while they waited for firefighters to arrive.

Dad Daniel O’Brien said: 'She must have been stuck in the trolley for at least 50 minutes by the time the fire crews arrived. They got out these big metal cutters and started to cut her free.

'It only took them about five minutes to actually cut her out but Keeley was confused and frightened. It was a nightmare.'

Keeley escaped her ordeal with just a bruised ankle.

A spokesman for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: 'We received a call at 7.40pm concerning a young child who had her leg stuck in a trolley at Tesco Extra.

'One crew from Hanley attended the incident and the girl was released by 8pm.'

A Tesco spokesman added: 'We were very sorry to hear about this incident and are glad little Keeley is all right. Our colleagues did everything they could to help.'